The White Phoenix
by MobBob
Summary: AU Set during episode 1x09 "Excalibur". Before dueling Uther, Tristan DeBois had a son, Gowen. When Tristan died, Uther took Gowen on as a ward. Now that Tristan has returned, Gowen's loyalties are tested.
1. Chapter 1

"How many drinks have you had?" said Morgana.

Gowen watched as a serving girl filled his goblet with wine. "This should be my third I think."

"Actually it's your fourth," said Merlin, directing the serving girl away from Gowen.

"Really?" said Gowen. "Well I guess you lose track after awhile."

"Maybe you should take a break from the wine?" said Merlin.

"Yes," said Morgana. "That's a great idea."

"Fine." Gowen handed his goblet, which was practically overflowing, to Morgana. "Here, finish it for me. It might get you to relax."

Morgana set the goblet aside. "You're already drunk and the ceremony hasn't even started. Can you even stand?"

"Sure I can." Gowen stood up from the table. "See?"

"And how long can you stand on your own?" said Gwen.

"Not very long," said Gowen. "Can someone stand next to me and prop me up?"

"I'll do it." Merlin got beside Gowen and helped steer him towards his place with the other knights. Merlin handed Gowen off to a knight named Pellinore. Merlin then went to take his place beside Gwen. All eyes were on King Uther, who was about to name Arthur Crown Prince of Camelot. Uther stood in front of his throne, with Arthur kneeling in front of him.

"Do you solemnly swear to govern the people of this kingdom and dominions according to the statues, customs, and laws laid down by your forbearers?" said Uther.

"I do sire," said Arthur.

"Do you promise to exercise mercy and justice in your deeds and judgments?" said Uther.

"I do sire," said Arthur.

Uther held out a scepter for Arthur. "Do you swear allegiance to Camelot now and for as long as you shall live?"

Arthur grabbed the scepter. "I, Arthur Pendragon, do pledge life and limb to your service and to the protection of the kingdom and its people."

A crown was brought forth, which Uthur picked up and placed on Arthur's head. "Now, being of age and heir apparent, hence forth you shall be Crown Prince of Camelot."

Arthur stood up, greeted by applause from all in attendance. Gwen turned to Merlin. "So how does it feel to be servant to the Crown Prince of Camelot?"

"Washing his royal socks will be even more of a privilege," said Merlin.

"You're proud of him," said Gwen. "Even though you complain about him constantly."

"I am not," said Merlin. "Do you think Sir Pellinore has a good grip on Gowen."

Merlin pointed to Gowen, who looked like he was going to keel over. "I don't think so," said Gwen. "Let's go help him out."

They were about to head over to Gowen when they heard a crashing noise. Merlin looked to see where the sound came from and saw a knight, wearing all black and with a white phoenix for his coat of arms, riding his horse through the throne room. He had entered by charging through the window. The entire throne room was thrown in disarray. Nobles ran to avoid his presence, while Uther's knights drew their swords to face the mystery rider. Pellinore joined them, abandoning Gowen. Instead of falling over, Gowen was able to hold himself up and stood there staring at the black knight.

The black knight rode his horse until he was face to face with Arthur. He took off his gauntlet and tossed it to the ground. Arthur went to reach for it, but a young knight grabbed the gauntlet before he could. "I, Sir Owaine, accept your challenge."

"Single combat," said the knight. "Noon tomorrow, too the death."

The knight rode off back through the window where he came from. Even when the knight had left, a harsh silence filled the room. Everyone seemed to scared to speak. This silence was interrupted when Gowen drunkenly fell to the ground, hitting his head against a table on the way down.

* * *

Gwen dabbed at the cut on Gowen's forehead while Morgana and Arthur argued about what had just happened.

"He shouldn't have picked up the gauntlet," said Arthur.

"So put an end to it," said Morgana.

"The challenge has been taken up," said Arthur. "The fight cannot be stopped."

"Then fight in his place," said Morgana.

"I can't," said Arthur.

"Why not?" said Morgana.

"Owaine picked up the gauntlet," said Arthur. "Owaine is the one that must fight. That's the knight's code. He knew that."

"But it's a fight to the death," said Morgana.

"Well Owaine is an idiot," said Gowen.

Morgana turned around. "Excuse me?"

"He's just had a blow to the head," said Gwen.

"I said, Owaine is an idiot," said Gowen. "Only an idiot would pick up the gauntlet for a duel to the death. And for what? For the glory? So that young girls will give you some sash to wear? So that people will sing about your deeds? Well those songs won't be much comfort to your widow."

"That's rich coming from you," said Morgana. "I seem to recall you wildly attacking a griffin a little while back. Tell me, how are your ribs doing?"

Gowen winced and rubbed the right side of his body. "Um well...that was under different circumstances. The griffin was threatening peoples' lives and I would like to point out that I managed to get a few shots in. How was I supposed to know that crossbow bolts would do nothing?"

Morgana chuckled. "Well it must have taken great courage to attack such a beast from so far away."

"I was able to walk away from that fight. I doubt Owaine will be able to walk away from his. Now if you all will excuse me, it's late and I'm going to bed." Gowen got up and left the room. He walked down the castle halls and towards his bedchamber. When he got there, he found the door ajar. Gowen slowly edged towards the door, careful not to make a sound. He peaked into the room and saw King Uther sitting on the bed. Gowen opened his door and greeted the King. "Uncle why are you-"

Uther jumped up from the bed and pinned Gowen to the wall. "What have you done?"

"What do you mean?" said Gowen, gasping for air.

"You know!" Uther dug his elbow into the right side of Gowen's ribcage. "The knight that challenged Sir Owaine. He was wearing a white phoenix. That was the coat of arms for your father. I know you are behind this!"

"I'm not! I'm not!" said Gowen through the pain.

"You're lying!" said Uther. "I took you into my house, I gave you everything you need, I looked past what your father had down, and this is how you repay me!"

"Uncle I can't breathe!" said Gowen.

Uther released Gowen, who collapsed to the floor. Gowen rubbed his throat, while Uther simply glared at him. "Who was the knight? Who did you pay to dress up like your father?"

"No one," said Gowen. "Because I wasn't behind this!"

"Then explain why he was wearing a white phoenix?" said Uther.

"Why are you wearing a golden dragon?" said Gowen. "I'm sure my father wasn't the only knight to use a white phoenix for his crest. Maybe this one's managed to get his hands on one of my father's old shields. There could be any number of reasons why this man has the same arms as my father, but I was not behind this."

"Do you swear to that?" said Uther.

"Yes," said Gowen. "I swear that I have not gotten some knight to dress up like my father to get revenge on you."

Uther looked at Gowen with contempt. "You know what I'll do to you if you're lying?"

"All too well." Uther made his way towards the door. As he left, Gowen turned to him. "Good night Uncle."


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Merlin armed Owaine while Arthur tried to coach him. Gowen sat in the corner of the room, sipping some wine and nursing his ribs. Next to him was Sir Pellinore, who had been ordered to act as his bodyguard for the time being.

"Your ribs should've healed by now," said Pellinore.

"Yes, it's strange," said Gowen. "But it does give me an excuse to drink."

"You've never fought in mortal combat before," said Arthur. "It's different. It's not like the training."

"Yeah, I know," said Owaine.

Arthur grabbed Owaine and turned him around. "Listen to me. The problem is you've never seen him fight. You have to quickly get the measure of him."

"But I have the same advantage," said Owaine. "He's never seen me fight."

"True," said Arthur.

"You've watched me?" said Owaine.

"Yes," said Arthur.

"And?" said Owaine.

"And I know no one braver." Arthur put his hand on Owaine's shoulder. "Remember, all it takes to kill a man is one well aimed blow."

The two were interrupted by the arrival of Gwen and Gowen. Gwen curtsied. "The Lady Morgana asked me to give you this token. She wishes you to wear it for luck."

Gwen handed Owaine a red sash. Owaine took it. "You can thank her and tell her I shall wear it with pride, but I won't need luck."

This statement was followed by a gloomy silence and an exchange of nervous looks that was only interrupted by Gowen, who stood up and hobbled over to Owaine. "Here, how about you have a drink? Calm your nerves before battle."

"No, I need to be level headed," said Owaine. "Maybe after I've won."

"By then I'll have drunk it all," said Gowen.

Arthur pointed to Pellinore. "You, take his drink away."

"With pleasure." Pellinore took the goblet and gulped down what remained of the drink. "You have good taste in wine, I'll give you that."

"Thanks," said Gowen. "You know, maybe I should take you to the tavern some time."

"I'd like that," said Pellinore.

"Come on you two," said Arthur.

Pellinore dragged Gowen to the stands, though having just downed Gowen's drink, Pellinore stumbled to get to his seat. The two sat with the other knights next to Uther, who was shooting disapproving looks at them. Morgana rolled her eyes at the two. "I see you haven't missed this opportunity to get drunk."

Gowen chuckled. "Regardless of what happens next, we'll all be reaching for the wine when the day is done. I'm just being prepared."

On the field, Arthur lead Owaine to face the black knight. On his arm Owaine wore Morgana's favor. Arthur handed Owaine his helmet and whispered something to him. Arthur then got between them to announce the rules of the duel. "This fight will be to the knights' rules and the death."

Owaine put on his helmet and took his sword. The black knight grabbed his sword with both hands, forgoing his shield. Arthur got up on the stands and shouted, "Let battle commence!"

The black knight struck the first blow. Owaine raised his shield to block it and desperately tried to defend himself from the vicious onslaught. The black knight had Owaine falling back. Owaine eventually found an opening and attacked, only to be kicked to the ground. The black knight went to strike, but Owaine dodged it. Owaine got up and was met by more blows. The black knight swung his sword at Owaine again and again. Owaine blocked each one with his shield. Suddenly, Owaine stabbed the black knight. The black knight was unable to stop Owaine's sword and was impaled by the blow. For a moment, it looked like Owaine had triumphed. A cheer came from the spectators, but it was premature. The black knight charged at Owaine, seemingly more incensed by before. He knocked Owaine to the ground and drove his sword into the young knight. A hush fell over the audience. The black knight turned his attention to King Uther. He marched to the King and threw his gauntlet to the ground.

"Who will take up my challenge?" said the black knight.

Arthur went for the gauntlet, but Uther held him back. Instead, Pellinore jumped from the stand and picked up the gauntlet. Gowen went to stop him, but he was too slow. Pellinore stood and faced the black knight.

"I Sir Pellinore will take up the challenge."

"Idiot," said Gowen under his breath.

"So be it." The black knight turned and left the field.

* * *

Gowen sat in the stands next to King Uther. He had gotten drunk the night before and was seen taking gulps from his goblet. No one could really blame him. Unlike Owaine's duel, the mood before Sir Pellinore's duel was grim. The crowd was silent as the two combatants faced each other. Arthur explained the rules, went to the stands, and called for the match to begin.

Unlike Owaine, Sir Pellinore was able to hold his own much better. Having watched the previous duel, Sir Pellinore anticipated the black knight's attacks. He parried the blows and even went on the offensive. At one point, Sir Pellinore caught the black knight's sword and almost managed to disarm him. The black knight escaped this hold and charged at Sir Pellinore. Sir Pellinore blocked the attack and stabbed the black knight. This time there wasn't a roar of applause from the audience. The black knight pulled away from Sir Pellinore, and it was clear that the blow had done nothing to him.

"The sword went in," said Gwen. "I'm sure of it."

"I saw it too," said Morgana.

The black knight charged and struck Sir Pellinore down. The black knight turned to face his next challenger. Uther went to stop Arthur, but it was too late and Arthur threw his gauntlet to the ground. "I Arthur Pendragon challenge you."

"So be it," said the black knight.

"Single-combat," said Arthur. "Noon tomorrow."


	3. Chapter 3

"I hope they serve good wine at you funeral," said Gowen. "Because that's the only way this is going to end!"

He stood in Arthur's bedchamber, trying to talk Arthur out of the duel. Arthur would here nothing of it. "The challenge has been accepted. You know the rules of the knights' code."

"Oh the knights' code!" said Gowen. "The great code that makes you fight to the death because someone tosses their glove on the floor."

"What would you have me do?" said Arthur. "Let him kill all my knights?"

"Why don't you just not pick up the gauntlet?" said Gowen. "What's he going to do if you just ignore him? He's just going to stand there with no one to fight."

"So that's how you'd deal with him?" said Arthur. "Just ignore him and hope he goes away?"

"Owaine and Pellinore would still be alive if they had done that," said Gowen.

"And more will die if I don't do something!" Arthur slammed his fist against the wall.

"Once you're dead he will simply challenge someone else," said Gowen. "And once that man dies, he will challenge another and another. There is no victory against him."

"I've already made my decision," said Arthur. "Good night Gowen."

"I'm not letting you do this," said Gowen.

"I said good night." Arthur pointed to the door. "Now leave before I call the guards."

"As you wish." Gowen walked out of Arthur's bedchamber, passing Gaius on the way out. Gowen stumbled through the halls towards his bedchamber. He turned a corner and found himself face to face with Morgana. Gowen bowed his head. "Good evening. Unfortunately I was unable to talk Arthur out of his duel."

"That's a shame," said Morgana. "Though, I didn't expect you to."

"Neither did I," said Gowen.

"Of course," said Morgana. "Arthur is an idiot. Isn't that what you'd say?"

"No," said Gowen.

"That's what you thought of Owaine," said Morgana. "And Arthur's going to do the exact same thing."

"Look, I'm too tired to argue with you." Gowen tried to walk around Morgana, but she wouldn't let him.

"You know what you are?" said Morgana. "You're a coward. No, worse than a coward. Because you don't even admit you're a coward. Instead you pretend like you're oh so clever and act like you're above everyone else. Well the truth is you're not!"

Gowen pushed Morgana aside. "Good night."

"Do you even care?" said Morgana.

"I do," said Gowen. "Why do you think I'm taking this from you?"

Gowen continued down the hall, ignoring Morgana's words. He passed his own bedchambers and headed towards the crypt. Gowen was familiar with the crypts. While he hadn't been to the crypts lately, he had visited them nearly everyday when he was younger. Gowen still remembered the first time he had been to his father's tomb. Uther had come with him, along with a dozen armed knights. Gowen's mother was allowed to accompany him. This was the last time Gowen saw her. Uther had decided to take Gowen on as his ward, and Uther felt that she would be a bad influence on him.

Even though he hadn't been to the crypts for years, Gowen knew where his father was buried. That's the kind of thing you don't usually forget. The crypts were dark and Gowen had to find and light a torch. The flames illuminated the crypt and Gowen navigated his way towards his father's tomb. Gowen took a deep breath as he edged nearer and nearer to the tomb. He almost tripped on a piece of marble on the ground. Gowen looked down and inspected the marble. It was shaped like a hand and was clearly part of a façade that decorated one of the tombs. A pit formed in Gowen's stomach and he ran to his father's tomb. When he got there, he fell to his knees.

His father's tomb had been ransacked. The façade on it was smashed with pieces of marble thrown across the floor. Out of the corner of his eye, Gowen noticed a piece of black fabric. This had likely been part of his father's uniform, torn when his tomb was defiled. Gowen's heart then sank. Someone had probably disturbed his father's body. Gowen forced himself to looked inside the tomb. He fought the urge to close his eyes because he had to know what they had done to his father. He saw that his father's body wasn't even he the tomb. Gowen's grip became so powerful that he broke his torch in half. He cried out with anger. Someone had disturbed his father's rest and they would pay for that.

* * *

Gowen approached the armory, where Arthur was preparing for his fight. Gowen had already armed himself and was carrying a crossbow with him. A white phoenix was emblazoned on his doublet and he wore a piece of black cloth around his arm. Gowen opened the door to the armory, only to find Merlin arming Uther instead of Arthur. Uther had apparently taken Arthur's place in the duel. Gowen wondered why Arthur had agreed to this. Likely he hadn't.

"You've shown the most extraordinary loyalty," said Uther to Merlin.

"It is my job sire," said Merlin as he adjusted Uther's armor.

"Beyond the line of duty," said Uther.

Merlin went to get Uther his sword. "Well you could say there is-"

"Excuse me if I interrupt." Gowen entered the armory, crossbow raised.

"Gowen!" said Uther. "What are you doing with that?"

"I'm facing the black knight," said Gowen. "I've always preferred the crossbow to the sword. Maybe it's because it let's me attack without worrying about retaliation."

"You can't fight him with a crossbow," said Merlin.

"I know," said Gowen. "That's why I'm going to need that sword. Give it to me or I'll shoot an arrow through your heart."

"You can't do this," said Merlin. "He'll kill you!"

"I think you underestimate my chances," said Gowen. "See how steady my hands are? I haven't had a single drink today. Now give me the sword."

"Fine." Merlin handed Gowen the sword. Gowen took it in one hand and almost dropped it. "I didn't think it was that heavy."

"No, it probably isn't," said Gowen. "But I've had three goblets full of wine so far."

"You liar!" Uther almost charged at Gowen, but Gowen grabbed the sword with both hands and held it out.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Gowen. "I'm the one with the sword."

"If you make it through today alive I'll have your head," said Uther.

"Lovely," said Gowen, who was heading out towards the field.

"Wait!" said Merlin. "What about your shield?"

Gowen turned around. "I'm not going to need it."


	4. Chapter 4

Gowen was sweating under his armor. He had been out of it so long that he had forgotten how hot it could be. He was tempted to take it off, but his opponent was wearing armor and Gowen needed the duel to be evenly matched. Gowen marched out onto the field, sword in hand ready to face the black knight. The black knight looked at Gowen, staring at the white phoenix on his chest. The helmet made it impossible to see his face, so Gowen could only guess what was going through his mind.

The two men raised their swords. Gowen's hands shook. He began to circle the black knight, who simply stood there not moving in the slightest. Gowen waited for a call to combat, but it never came. Maybe he had missed it. Regardless, he continued to circle the black knight, who continued to stand there. Gowen knew he would have to strike the first blow.

He experimentally swung his sword at the black knight. It harmlessly flew past its target, missing the black knight and only hitting air. The black knight just stood there. Gowen swung again, this time he made contact with the black knight's sword. The black knight countered Gowen's attack, by stabbing at him. Gowen dodged the blade and moved to the side. The black knight turned to face Gowen and swung his sword again. It cut a piece of Gowen's doublet, but otherwise harmlessly hit the ground. Gowen took the opportunity to strike at the black knight, hitting his helmet and knocking the knight backwards a bit. Gowen then charged at the black knight, trying to impale him with his sword. The black knight avoided this and retreated further towards the stands.

Gowen gave chase, trying to stop the black knight from attacking the spectators. Gowen swung at the black knight's arm. The blade hit the black knight's shoulder, but was unable to do any damage due to the armor. The black knight then grabbed the blade and sent it flying into the stands. Spectators ran to avoid it as it landed blade first into a plank of wood. The black knight raised his sword and swung it at Gowen. Gowen avoided the strike and charged at the black knight. Without his sword, he would have to settle with his fists. Gowen delivered a swift punch to the black knight's stomach, which knocked him to the ground. Gowen jumped into the stands and went straight for the sword. He reached it and tried to pull it out of the plank it was stuck in. After a little struggle, Gowen pulled it out of the wood and turned around towards the black knight. He found himself face to face with the black knight who punched Gowen in the face, knocking him to the ground.

Gowen could feel the blood running from his nose. The black knight stood over Gowen, ready to drive his sword into him. Before he knew what he was doing, Gowen punched the black knight's helmet. Gowen was glad he had gotten drunk before the fight. It meant he didn't have to feel the bones in his hand breaking. The blow was so powerful that it knocked the black knight off balance. Gowen punched the black knight again, this time knocking his helmet off. It hit the ground with a loud clang. Gowen was now face to face with his attacker.

Gowen recognized the face from the façade. Sure, decay had taken its toll, but it was unmistakably his father. The black knight stared at Gowen for a bit. For a moment it looked like he was going to drop his sword and end the fight. Then he raised his blade over his head, ready to deliver the finishing blow. Gowen reached for his sword, but he was too slow. Even with his senses dulled, he could still fell the black knight's blade cut into the right side of his body right below his ribcage. Gowen's foot collided with the black knight's chest, forcing him to let go of his sword. Gowen ignored the pain and grabbed the blade. He swung it with all the strength he could muster, striking at the black knight's neck. "Rest in peace father."

Before Gowen knew what was happening, a large blast hit him. It was powerful enough to splinter the stands and Gowen blacked out. When he came to he heard loud cheers coming from all around him. Some were shouting "Wraithslayer! Wraithslayer! Wraithslayer!" Others were shouting "Wraitsbane! Wraitsbane! Wraitsbane!" The two groups seemed to be at odds with each other, arguing over what they should be calling Gowen. Gowen got up and saw Gaius running towards him. Gowen looked down to look at the wound he had received. He noted that it wasn't deep. That was good. However, it was long and he had lost a lot of blood. Gowen began to feel lightheaded. He looked to Gaius, and noticed that Morgana was running behind him. She looked concerned. Huh...

* * *

Uther looked at Gowen, who lay in his bed comatose. He turned to Gaius. "How is he?"

"I've stopped the bleeding and did what I could to prevent infection," said Gaius. "All we can do now is hope for the best."

"Has he said anything?" said Uther.

"Yes, he came too briefly," said Gaius. "He wanted two things."

"What were they?" said Uther.

"First," said Gaius. "He wants his father's tomb repaired."

Uther contemplated this request for a moment. "I suppose he deserves some reward. What was the other thing he wanted?"

Gaius went to Gowen's bed and picked up a sword. "He wanted this returned to you."

"It's not mine," said Uther. "It was forged for Arthur."

"Well I will have Merlin return it to him." Just then Merlin walked into the room. "Speak of the devil."

"I was just checking in on Gowen," said Merlin. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Yes there is." Gaius handed Merlin the sword. "Return this to Arthur."

Merlin took the sword. "I will."

"Good," said Gaius. "It's an intriguing weapon. The markings on it are strange. Where did you get it?"

"Right, well that's a long story." Merlin rushed out of the room.

Uther turned to Gaius. "He's a strange boy."

"Well he often visits the tavern," said Gaius.


	5. Analysis of Excalibur

Without a doubt, episode 1X09 "Excalibur" is my favorite episode of Merlin. This may sound odd as on the surface, the episode seems like a typical villain of the week episode. While I won't deny that "Excalibur" fits into this formula. However, I would argue that the episode manages to take this simple format and inject some character development, symbolism, and world building.

The first thing I would like to talk about the episode is the set up. As I mentioned above, "Excalibur" is a classic villain of the week episode. A supernatural force, in this case the resurrected Tristan DeBois, threatens Camelot and Merlin must find a way to defeat him. However, this episode is slightly more complicated than that. It borrows heavily from the Arthurian Mythos, particularly the story of "Sir Gwaine and the Green Knight". In that story, a mysterious Green Knight arrives at Camelot and offers the knights the opportunity to strike him once, on the condition that he will be allowed to return that same blow on them in one year's time. Gwaine accepts this offer and decapitates the knight with one blow. However, the Green Knight survives this and promises to return the blow in one year's time. Both stories involve a mysterious rider challenging the knights of Camelot to a duel, only to reveal that he is in fact supernatural during the duel. This reference to this story helps establish the series' connection to the Arthurian Mythos, which is interesting as this episode will introduce King Arthur's fabled sword.

Another important aspect of this episode is the development of Arthur's character. The episode begins with Arthur being made Crown Prince, a position that confers a large honor and responsibility. True to form, Arthur displays a strong sense of duty. Whenever Tristan DeBois throws down his gauntlet, Arthur is always the first to try to get it. This willingness to put himself in harms way for the good of Camelot is a trait that shows Arthur is ready for the responsibility of his new position. I'd like to bring up Starz's Camelot for comparison. While I do believe that show is underrated, I also think it dropped the ball on Arthur's characterization. Like Merlin, Camelot tried to portray Arthur as a flawed leader. He was arrogant and something of a spoiled brat. However, unlike Merlin's Arthur, Camelot's Arthur lacked any positive qualities to balance out his flaws. "Excalibur" showcases how Merlin was able to develop Arthur as a character that was both flawed and showed promise as a leader.

At the heart of this episode is Uther. In this episode we learn the reason for Uther's hatred of magic. As revealed by Nimueh, Uther once was a patron of magic users, even keeping her as his personal magician. This changed when Uther's wife, Ygraine, was having trouble getting pregnant. Uther asked Nimueh to use magic to allow Arthur to be conceived. She did, but Ygraine died as in order to create life, another one had to be exchanged. Nimueh claimed that she didn't know that would happen. I always had a problems with the idea that she didn't know Ygraine would die. Maybe it's because I've read too much fantasy, but it only seems natural that a "Help me conceive a son" spell would take the life of the mother. I think it makes more sense that Nimueh knew what would happen, but didn't tell Uther because she knew he might try searching for another way to conceive, meaning that Nimueh might lose her job to another magician. The alternative would be that this spell kills people randomly and this was the one time it just so happened to kill the mother who was trying to conceive.

My personal quibbles aside, this does show two important aspects of Uther's character. First, he cares about his family. His entire war to end magic is started because magic killed his wife. Looking at the series, Uther's hatred of magic is typically rekindled whenever it's used to hurt his family. The fact that Uther is willing to take Arthur's place in his duel against Tristan DeBois further illustrates the lengths he goes to for his family. The other is that Uther isn't all that different from Tristan DeBois. Both characters want to avenge Ygraine's death. Uther does so by going after magic, while DeBois tries to go after Uther. In essence, Uther is fighting himself. Tristan could be used to represent the part of Uther that blames himself for Ygraine's death. Does this mean that by killing Tristan, Uther is strengthening his resolve against magic? Maybe. In the Season Two premiere, he does promise to take a more aggressive stance against magic.

The last part of the episode I would like to talk about is the titular sword. Excalibur is a central element of the Arthurian Mythos. It is unavoidable to do an adaptation of the Arthurian Legend without including Excalibur. In popular culture, Excalibur is often confused with the sword in the stone. While Excalibur is not the sword that granted Arthur his crown, it is often associated with kingship. This episode takes advantage of this. As mentioned above, this episode deals with Arthur preparing to become king. He is named crown prince and tries to sacrifice himself to end Tristan DeBois's attack on the kingdom. Arthur receiving Excalibur would seem to indicate him taking a step towards becoming the King he is traditionally known as. However, he isn't the one who wields Excalibur. Uther is. This could be to represent how Arthur isn't ready to be king yet. A few episodes later in "To Kill A King", Gaius outright says this. Uther's taking of the sword seems to suggest that Uther is still king and it will still be a long while before Arthur can become king.

"Excalibur" takes what is easily a formulaic villain of the week episode and manages to use this format to elevate the episode to something more. It added great depth to the characters and adds a twist on classic elements of the Arthurian Mythos. I feel like this should be an example of how to do a villain of the week episode correctly. All these reason easily make it my favorite episode of the show.


End file.
